Greenway

The Little Deschutes River and Deschutes River flow through or alongside many public lands in Deschutes County.  The first recommended put-in for the Little Deschutes River is at Rosland Park in the LaPine Parks and Recreation District.  The navigable part of the Deschutes River starts just below Wickiup Reservoir and flows through U.S. Forest Service land and LaPine State Park on the way to Bend.  Through Bend, the river runs alongside 13 parks in the Bend Metro Parks and Recreation District.  Just north of Bend, the Deschutes River flows through two more state parks:  Tumalo State Park and Cline Falls State Park.  The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) also owns land adjacent to the Deschutes River at various places along the river’s 95 miles.  Further north along the Deschutes River, the Redmond Area Park and Recreation District owns land at access places. 

It has been proposed that the Deschutes River basin should be viewed and managed as a greenway, from the headwaters all the way to the Columbia River.  This would unify the management of this invaluable resource by the many public entities with land along the river and in the basin.  The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is the logical government unit to provide the leadership for the greenway.  The BPTA is interested in assisting this development.